Stargazer: Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Time passed and the dragon flew on. Serena began thinking. She had never been outside the palace before. She did not know what lies outside. What if the dragon was dangerous? What if she couldn’t survive the wild?

Serena looked up at the dragon, it was starting to slow down and its breathing was getting heavier. It must have to land soon. The dragon looked down at her, then it looked back ahead again.

All around, Serena saw plains of gently rolling land. The sun started rising behind the hills, spreading its light over Tarnyk the way a phoenix spreads its wings over a nest. In the distance, Serena could see many towns and villages, although the dragon never went near any of them.

She was amazed at the outside world. Everything smelled fresher, crisper. It was better than she had ever imagined. Below her feet, clumps of evergreen trees, ponds and small forests were a blur as the dragon flew over the land. It flew so majestically, riding the wind more gracefully than any hawk or eagle.

The dragon pulled its feathered wings closer to its body, and they began descending. The wind whipped against Serena’s body, it felt like a thousand stabbing knives. She braced herself for impact as they came closer to the ground, but was surprised at how lightly the dragon put her down. It felt weird to be standing on solid ground again, and she fell. She looked up just in time to see the dragon fly over her. Its blue-green scales glittered brighter than any diamond in the new-born sunlight.

The dragon made a sharp turn in the sky, angling towards Serena. As it came closer to the ground, it extended its back legs to prepare for landing. Only when it was mere metres from the ground did it spread its white feathered wings, creating resistance and slowing it down enough to land, hind legs first, then dropping to all fours. It was a messy landing, Serena noticed. The dragon had been inside the palace for many years, it must not be used to flying quite yet. The dragon shook its head and grunted in frustration, then turned to Serena.

A sudden fear came over her. The realization that she was actually in front of a real dragon was too much for her to handle. In the legends of Tarnyk the dragons were feared creatures, known for their strength and speed. They killed humans for no apparent reason.

Her eyes darted from its sharp claws to its dagger-like teeth that could rip a human apart easily. She could feel her heart beat rapidly inside her chest as she cautiously stood up, keeping her eyes locked on the dragon.

She took a step backwards, still making eye contact with the dragon. The dragon noticed the movement and stiffened, its feathers rustled as if being blown by a slight wind, although there was none. Serena carefully took another step backwards, then another. The dragon gave a warning growl and unfurled its wings halfway. Serena turned and ran, stumbling across the grass and up the hill. Behind her, the dragon roared and jumped into the air.

“Do not run from me!” a voice yelled fiercely. Serena had no time to react, the dragon had her pinned to the ground in seconds. She kicked and yelled, trying desperately to escape the dragon’s tight grasp. She punched the dragon’s right foreleg as hard as she could, but her strength had no effect through the scales, which were as hard as steel. She pulled back her hand as pain spread through her knuckles.

“What do you want from me?” She screamed, covering her face with her hands instinctively. The dragon loosened its grip slightly, but kept enough weight on her so that she could not get up. Serena could smell the dragon’s rotten breath as it breathed in and out over her, keeping its teeth bared.

The dragon kept her pinned to the ground a moment longer as it calmed. Then, it slowly stepped off of her, allowing her to get up and dust the dirt off her dress. At that moment, Serena felt the urge to reach out and touch the dragon. She saw her hand reach out, although she had not commanded it to. She expected the scales to be cold like stones, but instead they were warm, as if a fire from within heated them. The dragon made a sound similar to a cat’s purr.

“Hello,” Serena said out loud, smiling. The dragon pulled back its head and studied her. Its cold, cat-like turquoise eyes seemed as if they were peering deep into her soul.

“Hello.” A voice answered. The voice seemed to float through the air and surround Serena. It was everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. The was no particular place from which the wind chime sound came from. It was musical, Serena liked it.

“I am the voice.” Serena looked at the dragon with a confused look upon her face. Had it spoken?

“You can talk?” she whispered in disbelief. The dragon pulled back its head and snarled as if it were an insult.

“Of course I can. I am as intelligent as you, if not, smarter. I am not just another ordinary creature.”

Serena was amazed. She had never known dragons to be intelligent creatures. She had grown up thinking dragons only knew one thing: to kill. But now she saw this dragon in a different way, as a creature equal to a human in both intelligence and dignity. There was something royal and majestic about a dragon, she no longer felt afraid. How could humans have put a label on a creature as beautiful as a dragon?

The dragon knelt before her in a bow like pose. “I am Dragon Jade.” It said in its musical voice.

Serena imitated the dragon’s actions. “I am Serena.” She replied. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Jade, I feel honoured.”

“Please do not be honoured. It was necessary that I take you from the palace, this was no coincidence.”

The dragon’s words confused Serena. “Why did you take me from the palace?” She asked.

Jade stared at her with sorrow-filled eyes. “I had to.” She answered, dipping her head. The answer wasn’t good enough for Serena.

“Why?” She asked gently. “What was so important that you had to take me away from my home? The King will send his soldiers this way, they will find us, trap us, and bring us back to the palace where I will be sentenced to death!” She was really beginning to worry now. The thought of never seeing Madison again or the friendly, familiar faces of the other servants upset her. She missed curling up into her straw mattress at night.

Dark smoke trailed from Jade’s nostrils. “Allow me to point out that if you went back now you would be sentenced to death anyways, and if it had not been for me you would now be dead.” Jade took a step towards Serena, her head at Serena’s level, growling. “You should be thanking me!” Serena was shocked, Jade could be frightening, but she did have a point.

Serena sat in silence beside Jade. Jade’s feathers were rustling once more. So many thoughts were rushing through her head; she felt sorry for raising her voice on Jade. She should have presented herself better, they only just met. She looked over at Jade, Jade glared back. Serena could feel the heat of her anger pulsing from her body.

Jade still hadn’t answered her question, why had she brought her along? Everything was so sudden, it seemed, just twenty four hours ago she was living her normal life. Now, in just a short amount of time, her life had taken a new direction. What was ahead? She didn’t want to think about it, she had enough to worry about.

The sun rose higher and higher into the sky, and their shadows grew shorter. Serena had begun trying to distract herself by playing with the grass on the hill while Jade stared into the distance, lost in thought. Then, without warning, Serena’s stomach growled loudly. Jade snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Serena.

“I have forgotten it has been a while since you have had anything to eat.” She said. Serena hadn’t really taken much notice, she was too distracted by thoughts of her own. “I will catch you something, get on. We will fly until we find suitable prey.”

Serena stared at her. Get on? There was no way she would get on Jade’s back and soar thousands of feet into the air. Being kidnapped was one thing, but flying willingly was different. This time she would be aware of the empty space between the dragon and the ground, instead of being overwhelmed by fear of the dragon itself. She shook her head and took a step back.

“I understand the idea is frightening, but I promise you nothing will happen. I will fly low, and we are not going far, I can already smell prey in the distance.” Jade crouched on her belly, low enough so Serena could climb onto the space behind her shoulders. Serena took a step forward. A part of her was telling her to get on the dragon.

Years from now, wouldn’t you like to say you had the courage to get on the back of a dragon? She asked herself. Yes, her mind answered. She took a deep, calming breath and climbed onto Jade’s back. Her scales were uncomfortable, but it was nothing she couldn’t get used to.

“Hold on.” Jade called back to her. Serena gripped one of the spikes along Jade’s back as she rose to her feet. Serena gasped at how tall Jade actually was, she gripped the spike tighter, wishing she was more secure on Jade’s back.

To either side of her, Jade’s feathered wings fanned out. They were about sixteen feet long on either side, and both looked extremely powerful. They must be, thought Serena, to carry a dragon as big as Jade into the air.

Jade lifted her wings high and forced them down with such power it sent dirt from the ground into the air around them. At the same time, she jumped high into the air, using her powerful back legs. Both the strength from her legs and the power of her wings sent them into the air. At the top of her jump, Jade pushed her wings down once more, gaining more height. She then glided, only metres above the ground, over the land. Below them, the ground dipped lower as they soared over the edge of the hill. Jade beat her wings again and again, riding the flow of air until they were at a safe altitude. It wasn’t until now that Serena realized she was screaming.

Slowly, she opened one eye, then the other. Looking around, she straightened up. It wasn’t as bad as she had thought. The spot on Jade’s back on which she sat was indented slightly, almost creating a seat. I can do this! She thought. Feeling confident, she let her grip loosen a little more. The wind whipped around her, sending her hair back and her loose dress into a frenzied dance. Never before had she felt so free, the sensation of flying was better than anything she could compare it too, it felt so right.

Then she looked down.

A sudden nausea came over Serena. The ground below went by so fast, it was only a blur, and they were so high up. Jade promised they would fly low! This wasn’t low, they had to be at least a couple hundred feet above the ground, most likely more. Serena could feel her grip loosening as a sensation similar to one that feels like falling overwhelmed her.

“Jade!” She called out wearily. Her mind was buzzing, she couldn’t focus on anything, she could feel her stomach turning.

Jade must have sensed the urgency in her voice because she immediately began descending rapidly towards the ground. Serena couldn’t remember what happened next, all she could remember was being on Jade’s back one moment, and on the ground vomiting the next. She didn’t vomit much, as there wasn’t much in her body to bring up, but she hated the feeling.

“I shouldn’t have expected you to be able to handle flight so soon.” Jade said, watching Serena as she drank pure water from a small pool. She had landed near a clump of evergreens, one of several that dotted the plains they had been flying over.

“It’s alright.” Serena managed to choke out before nearly vomiting again.

Jade seemed to sigh. “I guess flying isn’t an option until your stomach is well enough to handle it.”

“ I will be fine, I thought you said that you would fly low?” Jade seemed confused, and it took her a moment to answer.

“You must forgive me, I forget that humans cannot handle altitudes as high as dragons can. What I consider low must be frightening to you. I apologize, after being locked away in the palace for so long, my wings beg to be in the skies, to fly over the land higher than any bird dare go. I am truly sorry.” Jade’s feathers were limp and she hung her head. Serena tried to force a smile upon her pale face.

“It’s okay, really.” Serena tried to reassure her, but Jade did not answer. It was silent, until Serena’s stomach growled once more.

“I will get you food.” Jade said, turning into the trees. “Wait here.” Serena nodded, she could barely move. Jade jumped into the trees in one swift motion and disappeared among the branches. Knowing she was alone, Serena let herself fall back into the grass and closed her eyes.

The long grass tangled in her hair and tickled her face as the wind gently rocked it back and forth. Serena felt the warmth of the sun on her face and breathed in the outside air. She had felt the warmth of the sun many times before, but this time it was different, Serena couldn’t describe how, but she liked it. The air here smelled better, too. It was cleaner than the polluted air back at the Palace. Here, the air was untouched by humans.

Sounds of the outside world surrounded her, and created their own calming symphony. High above, somewhere in the trees, should could hear the birds chirping and the buzz of insect wings as they fluttered from one flower to another. The wind flowed through the trees and the grass, creating a soft rustling noise similar to when Jade’s feathers rustled. Soon, Serena found her consciousness fading, and within minutes she was asleep.

Meanwhile, Jade hadn’t gone far into the tangled branches when she spotted a lone deer. Crouching low so she wouldn’t be seen, Jade began to move closer. She could smell the warm blood that flowed through the deer’s veins and hear the steady rhythm of its heart beating deep inside its chest. Jade knew it was a young deer, it had probably wandered off from the rest of its herd.

The young deer continued chewing on a branch, unaware of the danger that lurked in the shadows of the trees nearby. Jade inched closer, trying to avoid creating too much noise. The thrill of the hunt was all new to her, she had not been able to practice hunting techniques while locked away. Today she hunted using only her instinct.

When she was close enough, she dug her back claws into the ground, steadying herself and preparing to pounce. The deer in front of her finally noticed her presence among the overgrown vegetation, it perked up, eyes wide, searching for the danger. Jade remained hidden in the dense trees. By the time the deer noticed her, it was too late, she had sprung from the trees with her wings half open and her forelegs outstretched. The deer tried to run, but Jade was already upon it, biting its neck and shaking violently. The deer now lay limp in her strong jaws.

The taste of the warm blood from the newly killed deer was better than Jade could have imagined. She wanted to tear it apart and swallow it whole right on the spot, but controlled herself. Serena needed the food more than she did, Serena was only human.

Spreading her wings, Jade jumped high into the air, away from the trees that could possibly prevent her from flying. She angled herself back towards where she had left Serena and began her short flight back, proudly carrying her recent kill.

Serena was woken up by the thunderous sound of Jade’s wings and the metallic smell of fresh blood. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. “How long was I asleep for?” She murmured to herself. Jade came up beside her and dropped a deer carcass on the ground. “For you.” She announced. Serena looked at it with disgust, blood still poured from open wounds, and its eyes still shone as the last of its life drained from its body. She no longer had the urge to eat.

“Thank you Jade, but I don’t think I can eat that. I’m sorry.” She tried her best to hide her disgust, she didn’t want Jade thinking she didn’t appreciate it. If Jade noticed anything, she showed no sign of it as she picked up the deer in her jaws.

“Very well then.” With one strong movement, Jade tore the back leg off the deer and swallowed. Blood sprayed over the grass as she tore off the other leg and swallowed it, too. Jade continued tearing the deer apart while Serena watched in horror.

When Jade had finished, all that remained was a pile of bones and a pool of blood where the body of the deer had been only minutes before. After licking the blood that had gotten onto her scales with her long, snake-like tongue, Jade turned to Serena and said “We must go, we do not have much time.”

“Time for what?” Serena asked, getting off the ground. Jade turned to look at her.

“Serena, some things are very hard to explain, do you believe in destiny?”

“Destiny? I don’t know … It’s never something I’ve actually thought about before. I guess so…”

Jade cut her off. “This may be hard to understand, but you and I have a destiny far greater than you could have ever imagined. Within a few days a terrible force will be unleashed on the island. It is our destiny to stop Doom.”

Serena didn’t know what to say, she had a destiny? No, not her, not the young servant girl that she was. She was a nobody, she wasn’t special in any way. She was just another person, yet a part of her liked hearing what Jade had just told her.

“But what is the doom?” Serena asked. Jade froze, as if Serena had just uttered a curse.

“My father.” She whispered.



♦ ♦ ♦



Back at the palace, the King was furious about the escape of the dragon and the servant girl. Things were complete chaos, nobody seemed to know what to do. Ancient tapestries in the main hall had been burning due to the dragon’s fire, soldiers were injured and the village had panicked over the sight of a dragon. The King had sent out several soldiers to pursue the girl and the dragon immediately before giving commands to put everything back in order again. The tapestries couldn’t be saved, but the King didn’t care. To him, they meant nothing.

Once everything had calmed and things were back to normal in the palace, the King retreated to his quiet throne room. The room was large, but empty, lit by torches along the wall. In the center, above everything else, was his throne, covered in black and gold cloth. He sat in the throne, holding his head in his pale hands.

“They have escaped, but not for long.” A dark, menacing voice said from the shadows. “If you wish, I could pursue them.”

The King tapped his fingers on the armrest impatiently. “Silence. If they know of our plan, it could backfire. I don’t know how much the girl heard, or how much the dragon knew. I have sent out soldiers already, but if that fails then you may do as you like.”

Out from the shadows at the back of the room came a large dragon. His scales were blacker than midnight, and he was covered in scars, suggesting the dragon had been in many fights. The long, twisted horns on his head nearly touched the ceiling because he was so large. He was frightening, but the King showed no signs of fear.

“I will find them, and when I do, I will rip them apart with my claws.” He growled. His claws scratched at the cold stone floor, eager to kill once again. He wanted to be out of the palace, away from his prison.

The King sighed. “Yes, but for now we must wait. The girl and the dragon have set back our plans a few days, but we will not have to wait for long.”

The black dragon bared his teeth and made a rasping noise that sounded like laughter. “As you wish, I will go tell the others.” He snaked away into the shadows again, leaving the King alone in silence.

Away from the King, in another room deep within the palace, three dragons awaited news from their father. From the darkness, the large black dragon appeared. There was a rustling of scales as they all turned to face him.

“Dragon Doom." The silvery-gray one said, dipping his head in respect. All four dragons were restless, for years they had been cramped up in a small room at the back of the palace. Now they were almost out, and finally able to stretch their wings again.

“Are you sure we can pull it off?” A golden-brown dragon asked. The black dragon turned his massive head towards the dragon that had spoken.

“You doubt my opinion, Dragon Shen?” He growled in a rough voice. The dragon called Shen shrank back.

“No, Dragon Doom.” He replied in a quiet voice. The black dragon, Doom, back away. He made the rasping noises again. The gray and brown dragon joined him, but the smallest, a red-orange dragon in the back, did not.

“In a few more nights…” Doom told them.



♦ ♦ ♦



“Doom will destroy the whole island if he succeeds. He will kill every human being. The King thinks he can control Doom, but Doom cannot be controlled. The other three dragons back at the palace, Dragon Feygon, Dragon Shen and my closest sibling, Dragon Blaze are still with him. Dragon Feygon and Dragon Shen are true followers of Doom, they obey every word as if it were the law, but I know Dragon Blaze will not give in to his evil.”

“What do we do?” Serena asked. She was terrified. Why would Jade’s father want to harm the island?

“We follow the northern star. It will bring us to the northern tip of the island. From there, we will go west, and I will cross the sea to Dragon Island in the northwest. From there, I will inform the other dragons that Doom has been released. Hopefully I will return with others before all is too late.”

The whole journey was dangerous, Serena knew. She wished she could go back to the palace, be safe, and continue her life the way it used to be. Yet, a part of her loved being outside the palace. The idea of an adventure was calling her.

Serena and Jade created a small camp on the outside of a few trees. As the night went on, Serena became tired and lay down on the ground to get some much needed rest. She had not slept the night before, since she was kept up by how frightened she was of the dragon that carried her through the night.

Jade came beside her and spread a welcoming feathered wing over her to protect her. Through the feathers, Serena could see the stars. She wondered if her life would ever return to normal. She didn’t think she could, knowing that she had been a part of something special, and how close she had been to a living dragon.

She thought about what had happened during the day, had it only been one day? It felt like she had known Jade for a while, and they had not just met today. She felt an instant connection with Jade, as if they were meant to be friends. A dragon … Serena thought to herself, A real dragon.

Jade’s breathing became slow and steady, Serena knew she was asleep. Peeking out from the wing, she saw how bright the stars were that night. Her vision blurred for a moment, and the stars seemed to be moving …

… A black dragon blows fire. A silver and a brown dragon follow a red dragon. He flies forward, towards the entrance of the palace. In his way stands a boy being pursued by soldiers.

The red dragon puts his claws on the boy’s shoulders and flies away with him. Angry shouts come from behind, and the dragon breaks through the palace walls. The large black dragon roars loudly as the red dragon and the boy escape …